Drill fixture



W. RAY

DRILL FIXTURE Juiy 18, 1939.

Filed Dec. 10, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MIMI WWW

W WWMIh.

W. RAY

DRILL FIXTURE July 18, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1936 humanl is, 1939- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRILL FIXTURE William Ray, Chicago, Ill.

Application December 10, 1936, Serial No. 115,199

1 Claim. (CI. 77-62) This invention relates to a device for locating drill holes.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an extremely light and portable device, which may be readily employed to facilitate the locating of drill holes in a piece of stock.

An additional purpose of this invention is to provide a device for controlling accurately the spacing of drill holes in a piece of stock, the de- Vice being capable of control by conventional micrometers available in any machine shop.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an improved device for locating drill holes in a relatively plain surface, which device may be situated adjacent said surface and is extensible to accurately position a drill guide over a wide, unobstructed area.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and drawings, which disclose a few devices constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a drill hole locator in place upon a work piece;

Figure 21s a sectional elevation taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken along the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing the arrangement of the gauge plate on the end of the drill guide plate;

Figure 5 is the end elevation, taken as in Figure 4, with the gauge plate removed;

Figure 6 is a partial plan view of the assembly;

Figure 7 is a sectional elevation taken along the line l----! of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken along the line I8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the structure with the angle member in reverse position; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line ill-Ill of Figure 6.

The drill fixture shown in the drawings for the 45 purpose of illustrating the present invention comprises a rail or base plate i2, which is provided along its edge with a longitudinally extending T slot 14. This rail is adapted to be clamped in place on the work piece by a pair of suitable 50 clamps it. The forward edge of the rail above the T slot is undercut as at 20 so that the presence of chips or debris thereon will produce no tendency to clamp the sides of the slot together. The rail along its rear face is provided with two 55 downwardly extending plates 22 maintained in position by machine screws 24. The back plates 22 are, at their lower ends, provided with transverse threaded apertures, in which normally reside the studs 26, as shown in Figure 3. This arrangement serves to assist in accurately positioning the rail with respect to the work material before rigidly clamping it thereto.

An angle member 28 has an arm 30 normally extending adjacent the aforementioned T slot, and is provided with a forwardly extending tongue 3| entirely along its abutting face, which tongue is machined to fit securely into the narrow portion of the T slot and serves to position the angle member in proper preselected relationship with the rail l2. A head 32 mounted at the end of a rod 34 passing transversely through the arm 30 of the angle member is received within the T slot 14; The head 32 is urged outwardly against the inner side of the T slot through the agency of a coil spring 36 carried in a knurled nut 38. The nut 38 likewise engages the threaded end of the rod 34, and provides means for increasing, to the desired degree, the force with which the head 32 bears against the inner side of the T slot in order to rigidly clamp the angle member in position. A series of apertures 40 are provided around the circumference of the knurled nut 38 for accommodating the removable tightening bar 42. Thus the angle bar will be normally, resiliently maintained in position adjacent the rail 12, but at any selected position may be rigidly clamped thereto.

The right side of the angle member, as viewed in Figure 1, slidably supports a plate 44 provided with a tongue portion 46 which fits accurately within the narrow part of a T slot 48 provided in the angle member. A second head 50 similar to the head 32 is resiliently urged against the inner side of the T slot 48 through the agency of a coil spring carried within a nut 52. Thus after adjustment the nut 52 may be tightened through the agency of thebar 42 for the purpose of clamping the platein any selected position.

Three spaced apertures 54 disposed in the plate 44 are adapted to accommodate a guide sleeve 56 provided with an axially extending circumferential groove 58 to clear the l murled set screw 60, which may be positioned in any of the three threaded apertures 62 situated adjacent apertures 54 in the plate 44. The guide sleeve is provided with a shoulder portion 64 adjacent the groove 58 so that, after positioning in the aperture, rotation of the sleeve through a short are will bring the shoulder 64 under the head of the set screw .0, whereupon the members may be clamped in place.

The guide sleeve is provided with a central aperture 66 having a suitable bore to accommoto be employed. 80, too, the guide sleeve 58 may be positioned as desired in any of the three apertures 54. scribed or etched lines it i are provided on the side of the plate 44 for the piu'pose of locating the axes of the apertures ll in a transverse vertical plane, as shown in Figure 9, and a corresponding vertical line 10 is scribed in either end of the plate 44 to locate the axes of the apertures in a plane longitudinally of the plate. The apertures 5 are accurately spaced from each other in order to facilitate determination of a preselected point.

At the left extremity of the rail II, as viewed in Figure l, is a gauge plate 12 rigidly maintained in place by machine screw 14, and companion to a gauge plate 16 carried pivotally at the extremity of the arm 30 by a stud I8. Thus any distance which the angle member, and consequently the apertures 54, are shifted to the left can be accurately determined by measuring the distance between the outer side of the gauge member 12 and the inner surface of the gauge plate It, employing merely the conventional micrometer. The plate 44 is similarly provided at its end with a gauge plate 80 pivoted about a stud l2, and complementary to the second gauge plate 16 pivotally mounted on the other arm of the angle member 2!. Therefore, the distance which the plate 44 is shifted with respect to the rail I2,may likewise be accurately determined by means of the conventional micrometer, situated as shown in the dotted lines in Figure 2, The gauge plate In has symmetrically arranged sides ll, so that it may be operatively situated in either angular position with respect to the work piece.

In using this device, the rail I2, which is slightly thicker than the associated angular.

member 28 and plate 44, is clamped against .the surface of the work piece I. When it is desired to drill the work piece in accordance with measurements from a fixed datum line, the clamps I I may be adjusted loosely with the rail generally in position and the studs 26 adjusted with a screw driver or the like until they accurately position the rail in the desired relationship to the edge of the work piece, whereupon the clamps II are tightened. The knurled nut 38 is then loosened and the angle member shifted so as to bring the center line of the apertures in the desired position, following which the nut 3| is tightened by means of the bar 42. I The plate 44 is shifted in a similar manner .so as to bring the center line of the apertures to a proper position to locate the point at which the hole is to be drilled. Thus, if the hole is located by cross lines on the work piece, these maybe readily alined with the scribed lines and Il on the plate 44. A drill inserted through the sleeve n, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 10, will cut a hole on the thus determined axis.

When it is desired to drill apertures accurately spaced from such a predetermined point, or from a hole drilled in the above manner, the aforementioned procedure is repeated, the angle member ll being shifted along the rail II in accordance with a distance carefully controlled by a micrometer engaging the gauge plates 12 and II, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 7. The nut I! is tightened and the plate 44 is ad- Justed with relation to the rail a distance accurateiy spaced from its first position likewise by amicrometer engaging the outside surfaces of the gauge plates Ii and Ill. Any number of holes may be properly located in this manner.

A plurality of apertures 54 are provided merely for the purpose of enabling a wider range of adjustment to be obtained with a given degree of movement of the plate 44. By accurately spacing the apertures a distance of one inch, for instance, rapid transposition may be made.

If the device as set up in this position does not afford a sufficient range, it is only necessary to remove the angle member 28 by sliding it off the right end of the rail l2 and reapplying it in reverse position, as shown in Figure 9. The gauge plates I8 and 80, being pivotal about their respective studs, will readily take the operative position shown. The gauge plate 12, however, is removed and positioned on the opposite end of the rail I! by inserting the machine screw 51 into a corresponding tapped aperture 58 provided for this purpose. likewise the position of the uide plate 44 may be reversed in the same manner, this of course necessitating the removal of the gauge plate and reapplication thereof to the opposite end of the plate 44. Thus the distance between the complementary gauge plates may be practically doubled. According to the present preferred embodiment, when the angle member 28 is in its farthest righthand position, as shown in Figure 1, the center line of the apertures perpendicular of the rail I 2 will reside a short distance to the right of the center line. Thisstructure permits a slight overlapping of the field of work on either side of the center and permits easy adjustment in either position. The present structure is quite simple and light, and permits the ready locating of any aperture or series of apertures in a piece of work. The structure, moreover, provides adjustment of extreme accuracy, employing only the conventional type of micrometer available in machine shops. In addition, by reversing the angle member as defined above, the range of measurement of a single micrometer along lines parallel to the rail I2 may be doubled. Thus the number of micrometers necessary to accommodate any given range is reduced to a minimum.

1 wliile'a'system of interchangeable guide sleeves I! has been described, these sleeves may be entirelyf bmitted and the apertures- 54 employed to guides suitable/sized drill for "spotting" or initiating-the drill'hole in the work-piece. Having thus located the center of the hole the plate 44 may be removed and drilling may proceed with the proper sized drilltoyp'roduce the final hole. Alternatively, in following this procedure, only a single sleeve may be employedjof the proper diameter to guide the spottlr'i'g drill.

It, is thought that the invention and numerous of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the form herein described being a preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

.The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

In a device for locating drill holes, a longitudinally extending base member adapted to be fixed rigidly with a work-piece, an angle member having bne arm mounted for longitudinal movement adjacent the base member, means to clamp said arm in any selected longitudinal position, a sec- Ondarm extending outwardly from said first arm and. having a drill guide plate thereon, a trans versely extending gauge plate at the extremity of the first mentioned arm, a companion gauge plate transversely mounted on the base member whereby to permit micrometer measurement of the relative displacement of the angle member, said angle member being reversible while the base member is rigidly fixed to the work-piece to permit the extremity of the first mentioned arm to face away from said base gauge plate, and means to transfer said base gauge plate to a second position on the base member at a point longitudinally removed from said first named position and opposite the extremity of said arm in 10 its second named position.

WILLIAM RAY. 

